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Mindfulness/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Cassie and Moby A robot, Moby, is positioned in the lotus pose while floating in space. His eyes are closed, but a third eye opens in the middle of his forehead. Streams of light radiate from his head. The animation changes to show a girl, Cassie, in a classroom filled with robots. Most are seated in the lotus pose on top of their desks, including Cassie. Her eyes are closed as she exhales. The frame zooms in on Cassie's face. CASSIE'S INNER VOICE: Okay, Cassie, clear your mind. Don't think don't think don't think… Wait, does that count as thinking? Shh, clear your mind, quiet down. A smaller image of Cassie's head floats next to her. CASSIE'S SECOND INNER VOICE: Hey, who you telling to be quiet?! Another image of Cassie's head appears on other side. CASSIE'S THIRD INNER VOICE: Well, you're the only one here, aren't you? Another image of Cassie's head appears. CASSIE'S FOURTH INNER VOICE: What about me? Another image of Cassie's head appears. CASSIE'S FIFTH INNER VOICE: Don't forget about me! CASSIE: Everyone just zip it!! Cassie's floating heads disappear and the robots turn to look at her. CASSIE: Ah ha ha…sorry. The school bell rings and Cassie walks toward Moby at the front of the classroom. Text on the blackboard reads: Meditating with Moby. MOBY: Beep. Moby hands Cassie a typed letter, from which she reads. CASSIE: Dear Cassie and Moby, Sometimes my thoughts totally get away from me. I get stuck thinking about everything I did wrong. Is there anything I can do? Your pal, Beth CASSIE: I think we've all been there, Beth. If you really tune into you'll thoughts, you'll notice how much they wander. Thinking about plans for the future…Reliving a strong emotion you experienced in the past…Or maybe focusing on stuff you want or need. An animation shows the front of a brain. A simplified map of the brain appears above it, with icons of sports equipment, schoolwork, food, a calendar, a phone, and a crying face representing different hubs that are interconnected. A bright dot moves between these hubs. CASSIE: These kind of thoughts happen automatically, seemingly out of our control. They're like the brain's version of biting your nails, or twirling your hair: just habits that it repeats for no apparent reason. An animation shows a brain running on a hamster wheel. CASSIE: Then without realizing it, we make decisions based on all this…brain chatter! We might follow an urge or craving we're feeling… An animation shows Cassie watching TV while eating a bag of potato chips. CASSIE: Or get stuck reliving some painful memory… An animation shows a younger Cassie clutching a teddy bear and wearing a worried expression as the silhouettes of people's legs walk by her. CASSIE: And then react to that, instead of what's happening right in front of us. An animation shows Rita and present-day Cassie wearing hiking backpacks and looking at a map. Cassie looks around her with a worried expression. CASSIE: Put simply, when you think out of habit, you act out of habit. MOBY: Beep? CASSIE: It's not entirely a bad thing. Habitual thinking lets you multitask, almost effortlessly. Like, when you walk somewhere along a familiar route. You don't consciously think about all the turns you need to make…Or even about avoiding unfamiliar obstacles. An animation shows Cassie and Rita walking by a baseball field. While her head is turned towards Rita, Cassie's brain walks in front of her and leads her forward using a rope connected to her hand. It leads her around a hole in the path when she turns to wave goodbye to Rita. CASSIE: All that stuff runs on autopilot while you think of other things. An animation shows Cassie imagining herself playing baseball in front of a crowd. CASSIE: Sometimes, you can't even remember how you got where you're going! But there you are safe and sound at your destination. The image of Cassie playing baseball disappears and she looks around, surprised to find herself in front of her house. She walks through the door. CASSIE: It's an amazing little trick. But sometimes your brain chatters at you when you don't need it to…About stuff you really don't want to be thinking about. Which can distort how you see the world. An animation shows Cassie sitting under a tree in a lush, green park. Her brain sits on her shoulder and speaks into her ear. An image of a paper marked with an F appears. The animation turns black and white, and the grass, flowers, and leaves disappear, leaving a barren landscape. Cassie clutches her knees as images of the failed paper, a clock, a sternlooking teacher, and a skull float around her. CASSIE: But what if you could just learn to turn down the volume on those thoughts? One way to do that is by practicing mindfulness. That means focusing on the present moment, without judgement. Cassie closes her eyes and changes position so that she is sitting with her legs crossed, her hands resting on her knees. When she does, the flowers, grass, and leaves return to the scene and the animation returns to full color. CASSIE: It doesn't come naturally to most of us, but the more you do it, the better you get. MOBY: Beep! CASSIE: Right, one method to strengthen that skill is mindful meditation. Here's one way to do it: Start by sitting comfortably, in a chair or on the floor. An animation shows Rita sitting in a chair, while Tim kneels on a mat and Nat sits crosslegged on a pillow. CASSIE: Your back should be straight; imagine it's a tall stack of coins. Then relax your body; just let everything hang. The animation zooms in on Nat and shows an image of her spine as she sits with a straight back. Her spine turns into a stack of gold coins. CASSIE: Close your eyes and breathe naturally. Focus your attention on the air flowing in and out of your nose or belly. Whichever you notice more. An animation shows Rita breathing deeply, air flowing in and out of her nose. CASSIE: Feel your body pressing against the chair or floor. Inhale, exhale. An image shows Rita, Tim, and Nat seated with their eyes closed. The animation zooms in on Tim as he breathes through his nose. CASSIE: Whenever your mind wanders—and it will wander—try not to judge yourself. Just notice it, and then bring your awareness back to your breathing. A tiny Moby with wings flies past Tim's face. His buzzing distracts Tim, who opens his eyes. When he closes his eyes and inhales, Moby gets smaller and flies off. CASSIE: Use your breath to keep you in the present, moment by moment. If you haven't meditated before, set a timer and try it for one minute. From there, you can work your way up to five minutes, then 10 or more. An animation shows Cassie holding up her phone. It zooms in on the screen as she sets its timer. CASSIE: Or, if you keep having trouble staying in the moment, try a guided meditation. That's when a person or an app walks you through the steps. Kinda like I did just now. Cassie swipes her screen to open a meditation app. MOBY: Beep. CASSIE: Yup, there are lots of ways to do mindful mediation. But the goal is always the same: keeping your attention on the moment. Once you get the hang of it, you can approach any activity mindfully. An image shows the outline of a figure sitting in the lotus pose. It is joined by icons showing it eating, dancing, walking, and laying down. CASSIE: You can take a mindful walk, concentrating on feeling your steps and your breath. You can eat mindfully, savoring each bite, focusing on your food's flavor and texture. An animation shows the figure doing the activities Cassie describes CASSIE: After a few months of practice, it'll get to be second nature. And you'll find that you can handle difficult situations better. Your brain might still chatter at you, and stir up difficult emotions. An animation shows Cassie in a school gym, holding a basketball. She closes her eyes and a brain appears on her shoulder. As it speaks to her, she imagines herself missing a basket and frowns. CASSIE: But instead of reacting to those feelings, you'll kind of…notice yourself having them. Once you identify them, they'll be less intense. Cassie turns to face the brain and blows it off her shoulder. CASSIE: And then you'll be able to deal with the situation calmly… rationally… mindfully! An animation shows Cassie shooting the ball and making a basket. MOBY: Beep. CASSIE: Good point: The goal isn't to disconnect from your feelings. If anything, you'll be more in touch with your emotions, because you're more aware of them. An animation shows a young boy with a neutral expression. Images of his face looking happy, scared, angry, and sad appear around him. CASSIE: And mindfulness is no replacement for getting help when you need it. Like, by sharing problems with people who care about you. Or talking to a parent or trusted adult about bad feelings or experiences. An animation shows the same boy walking into a school counselor's office. He talks to her as they sit on pillows on the floor. CASSIE: Instead, think of it as another option in your toolkit of well-being. An image shows the boy's face surrounded by icons of a figure running, meditating, sleeping, and talking to an adult, as wells as icons of fruits and vegetables and happy faces. CASSIE: We could all use more of those, right? Right, Moby? Cassie turns to Moby, who is staring blankly in front of him. CASSIE: Hello? Cassie waves her hand in front of his face. The animation zooms in on his face. Miniature versions of his face appear around him. Each displays a different expression: angry, worried, happy, and sad. MOBY'S FIRST INNER VOICE: Beep! MOBY'S SECOND INNER VOICE: Beep! MOBY'S THIRD INNER VOICE: Beep! MOBY'S FOURTH INNER VOICE: Beep!Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Health Transcripts